Monthly Archives: January 2013

“[Regarding “Married Life” as Ellie’s theme]…when you watch the film, it’s fun to see how that score changes with them as well.” – Michael Giacchino

On January 31, 2010, the 52nd Grammy Awards was held in Los Angeles, California. Michael Giacchino’s score for the Pixar film UP was awarded two Grammys: one for Best Score Soundtrack Album, beating out Alexandre Desplat’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Nicholas Hooper’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Danny Elfman’s Milk, and Giacchino’s collaboration with Varese Sarabande for Star Trek; the other award was for Best Instrumental Composition for the piece “Married Life,” which was up against Paquito D’Rivera’s “Borat in Syracuse,” Tim Davies’ “Counting to Infinity,” Bob Florence’s “Fluffy,” and Steve Wiest’s “Ice-Nine.” It is one of the few scores in history to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and a Grammy.

“[Collins’] voice has a tendency to wrap itself around you and bring you into his world. As soon as he starts singing, it’s just magic and provides a very welcoming feeling.” – Composer Mark Mancina

On January 30, 1951, Philip David Charles Collins was born in Hounslow, London, England. At age five, he was given a toy drum set, and was presented with complete sets by his parents and makeshift ones by his uncle as he got older. Collins was also a child actor, winning the role of the Artful Dodger in the West End production of Oliver! All the while, Collins continued to focus on his music, forming a band while in school and drumming for Flaming Youth and George Harrison. Collins found his big break in 1970, when he auditioned for and won the spot as the drummer for the band Genesis. After lead singer Peter Gabriel left the band in 1975, Collins became the lead vocalist of the group. The band had great success with Collins at the helm, including reaching Top 40 Chart in America. In 1981, Collins began a solo career, scoring a hit with his first single, “In the Air Tonight.” In 1985, he was nominated for his first Academy Award for the song “Against All Odds” from the film of the same name.

Collins’ first work for Disney came with the 1999 film Tarzan, where he wrote and performed the songs for the film. The song “You’ll Be in My Heart” reached number 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts and stayed at the top for 19 weeks; it was also awarded the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Collins also performed the songs for the film in German, French, Spanish, Bulgarian, and Italian. “Strangers Like Me” from the soundtrack peaked at number 10 on the Adult Contemporary Charts. In 2002, he was awarded as a Disney Legend. Collins would go on to write and perform the songs for another Disney film, 2003’s Brother Bear. In 2006, when Tarzan was adapted for the Broadway stage, Collins contributed greatly to the production, writing 11 new songs and pieces of the score.

January 29, 1943 – The Donald Duck Short Film Donald’s Tire Trouble Premieres in Theaters

“Doggone rubber shortage!”

On January 29, 1943, the Donald Duck short film Donald’s Tire Trouble premiered in theaters. Although not considered a WWII propaganda short, the film does reference the rubber shortage that went on during the time. The short was directed by Dick Lundy.

Donald is zooming down a mountain path in his little sports car, when one of the tires deflates, having been punctured by a nail. Irritated, Donald starts throwing supplies to fix it out of his car, and almost immediately has trouble with the jack, as it seems to disobey him as most objects tend to when around the duck. Finally, Donald is able to prop up his car, only to have it land on him before he can change the tire. He struggles to get the tire removed from the car, and when he does, he notices all the patches he’s used before on the tire, from rubber gloves to hot water bottles.

The one last rubber patch Donald has decides to stick all over the place other than the tire

Donald has one last rubber patch, and attempts to use it, only to have it stuck on his fingers, his beak, and his tail. It finally attaches to the tire, but to his foot as well. Once be removes the patch from his foot, he finds that it attached itself to exactly the right spot. He then attempts to use an air pump to inflate the tire, only to have the air go right back into the pump, which makes it explode. He then tries to manually inflate it, but it deflates once more. Finally, he begins to reassemble his tire, only to get his feet, followed by his fingers, then his beak, stuck in the rim. He then attempts another method to get the rim on the tire, only to get the rim caught around his waist. After freeing himself, he once again tries to get the rim on the tire, only to be completely encased in the rubber. Trying once again to get things to work his way, he accidentally catapults himself into a tree, which sends all the parts of the tire flying into their proper places on the car. Donald shrugs, and is about to head off, when he finds that all of his tires have been punctured. Unable to handle this, he loses his temper in his fashion, but attempts to drive off anyway, bursted tires and all.

On January 28, 1965, the live-action feature film Those Calloways was released to theaters. The film was based on the book Swiftwater by Paul Annixter. The film is set in Vermont, but was filmed at the Walt Disney Studios. To match the fall foliage of Vermont, 280,000 hand-painted leaves were created to imitate Vermont fall foliage. The two songs in the film were written by the songwriting team the Sherman Brothers, and the score was composed by legendary composer Max Steiner, known for his scoring of Gone With the Wind. The screenplay was written by Louis Pelletier, ­with the film directed by Norman Tokar. It stars Brian Keith as Cam Calloway, Vera Miles as Liddy Calloway, Brandon de Wilde as Bucky Calloway, Walter Brennan as Alf Simes, Ed Wynn as Ed Parker, Philip Abbot as Dell Fraser, Tom Skerritt as Whit Turner, John Larkin as Jim Mellott, and Linda Evans as Bridie Mellott.

The film begins with Liddy Calloway scaring a bear away from her garbage, when she looks up to see the geese flying high in the sky. Meanwhile, her husband Cam is packing up his traps, when he also spots the geese flying by. In town, everyone is entranced by the geese flying by, with some members of the town already beginning to shoot. Bucky Calloway, angered about the shooting, goes to pull away one of the shotguns, and ends up in a fight with Whit, one of the shooters, while the town watches. Bridie Mellott, Bucky’s friend, tries to stop this, but her father tells her that the boys need to settle this on their own, one way or another. Poor Bucky loses the fight, and Whit walks away as the victor as the townsfolk disburse. A small group of men discuss the Calloways: a small family that lives in the backwoods and think it’s cruel to shoot wild geese. Cam Calloway was raised by Indians, with some of the townspeople think the whole family shouldn’t be around “respectable people.”

Bucky and Cam take a break from their lines to rest and talk about Cam’s dream of a geese sanctuary

Bucky finds his father near the lake as he walks home, watching the geese land in the water. The two sit to talk, and Cam tells Bucky of his plan to buy the land and lake for $1100, hoping to turn it into a sanctuary for the geese. He plans to attract the geese by planting corn, which is an old Indian trick for attracting geese. As Bucky and Cam find their way home, the bear from the morning comes back, and Bucky recognizes him as his friend Keg, and the two wrestle while Cam and Liddy talk. That night, Cam tells Liddy that he has plans to take Bucky with him on the trapping lines. Liddy is not fond of the idea, especially when Cam can’t make enough to pay back the money for their land, but she eventually goes along with the idea.

Later, Bridie stops by to drop off some packages, and tells Bucky that they should make better use of the land. The two tease each other playfully, although neither will admit the growing attraction between the childhood friends. The book Bucky orders is The Manly Art of Self Defense, and takes to practicing in the shed, while his father watches. Cam then offers to help Bucky learn how to spar. Bucky’s moves are rather technical, but effective, as he manages to give Cam a good punch in the jaw, followed by another one. However, the two begin some lighthearted roughhousing, and quickly finish up the chores to start on the line the next morning. Cam tells Bucky that they’re heading to Jack Pine Valley, an area that’s never been tracked before, as it’s considered a place full of bad spirits. As they travel, they run into Cam’s old friend Nigosh, who warns them to be careful of Jack Pine Valley. As they reach the valley, Bucky nearly falls off a cliff, and Cam breaks his leg after he falls off a log.

Bucky sets off to check the line while Cam is stuck inside with a broken leg

Back in town, everyone discusses the Calloway’s situation, as it will be rather hard for the family this winter with Cam laid up. Dell Fraser, a traveling salesman, tells the other men in town of his idea to turn the town into a place for goose hunters, being rather relentless with his idea. Winter arrives, and Bucky decides to head back to the valley to trap. Cam warns Bucky not to go to the valley, convinced that it is a bad luck place, but Bucky is determined to provide for his family. He looks at his lines, and notices they’ve been tampered with by a wolverine. Angered, he decides to hunt down the wolverine instead of heading home. Bucky ties up his dog Sounder as he searches for the wolverine, but Sounder breaks free and fights the wild animal. Bucky tries to save his dog by pushing down some branches, but loses his shotgun in the process and is attacked himself while Sounder is caught under a heavy branch. Bucky is finally able to kill the wolverine and save his dog.

After Bucky’s first hunting experience, he is able to keep bringing home several pelts for his family. Alf, the town gossip, stops by to visit the Calloways, informing them of the new plans to turn the town into a hunters paradise. Liddy informs Alf of Cam’s idea of bringing the geese to town every year, and Alf suggests they petition the government to create a sanctuary for the geese. Bucky comes home with some new pelts, and come Christmas time, Bucky has caught enough ermine to create a cape for his mother. Bridie helps Bucky to create the cape for his mother, although the two of them still tease each other, with Bridie frustrated that Bucky doesn’t see her as grown-up. On Christmas Eve, Bucky and Cam ask Liddy to open her package, and she begins to cry with joy upon seeing the cape. The Mellotts arrive for the Christmas celebrations, and the men decide to have a glass of spiked cider before Bridie appears in a beautiful new dress. Bucky is shocked to see Bridie looking so grown up, and as they sing Christmas carols, he reaches for her hand, while the two exchange nervous glances.

Although Cam is beaten down by circumstances, Liddy gives him the idea to build the house on the sanctuary land, and Cam agrees

A week later, Bucky is still singing the Christmas carol he sang with Bridie, and decides to stop by the Mellotts to see her. Liddy and Cam talk about when they first started courting twenty-one years prior, leading to another sweet moment between the couple, where Cam promises never to leave Liddy. As Bucky stops by the Mellotts, he finds that Bridie is being courted by Whit, and leaves before anyone notices. As spring approaches, Bucky and Cam bring the pelts to Mellott’s trading post to sell the pelts; unfortunately, the market for furs bottomed out, and the $1800 they’d been hoping for was only $450. When Liddy claims that at least they have enough money for their house, Cam informs her that he used the $400 to buy the land for the geese sanctuary. Furious, she storms away and shuts herself in the bedroom. When spring arrives, their landlord, Doane Shattuck, arrives, and without the money to pay him, he has no choice but to evict them. Although Cam offers the land he’s already bought, Doane refuses to accept. Cam informs him they’ll be out first thing in the morning, and further insults him by saying that Doane’s only friends were the coins jingling around in his pocket. Liddy then gets the idea that they should just build their house on the land he now owns, and Cam agrees.

When Cam begins the building of the cabin, Dell Fraser stops by, trying to trick Cam into turning the sanctuary into a hunter’s paradise, offering a few hundred dollars from his boss, E.J. Fletcher. The Calloways set their plan of bringing the geese to the land by planting corn into action, and are surprised to see the members of the town arriving to help build the cabin for the family. With everyone working diligently, the house is quickly finished and everyone celebrates with a party. Bucky and Bridie are set up by the members of the town and sent outside to talk. As they go for a walk, Bucky is still sore over seeing her with Whit, although she is unaware that he saw her. She asks him what she did wrong and why he won’t speak to her, but he won’t give her a straight answer. Finally, during a heated argument, he kisses her, and she walks away horrified, informing him that she isn’t interested in anyone but him, but after this incident, she isn’t quite sure, and runs away crying.

Cam confronts the men in the marsh, angered to be swindled by hunters

The corn is seen growing well in the marsh a while later. In town, Fraser and his boss Fletcher head to the marsh with their hunting equipment, hoping to convince Cam to sell. Bucky heads to the trading post, where he and Bridie have a tense conversation. Whit starts to goad Bucky, and Bucky finds that Cam has been swindled by Fraser. As Whit continues to goad Bucky, Bucky starts another fight, but is able to beat Whit this time as the whole town watches. Bridie sits with Bucky after the fight and offers to drive him home in the rig. At the marsh, Fraser and Fletcher run into Cam, who is furious that they’re on his land hoping to create a hunter’s paradise. Cam warns them that the geese will not come down this year, and later that night, he burns up the entire crop of corn. Liddy and Bucky try and stop him, but are unable to. Meanwhile, a town meeting is being held about the hunters coming in, with Alf saying that the government should buy the land and turn it into a sanctuary for the geese. Fraser argues that his way means that the money will keep rolling in for everyone, and the meeting turns into a fight. The next morning, as the geese fly overhead, Cam wakes up to hear the sounds of gunshots. He angrily finds the businessmen in his marsh and pulls away their guns, accidentally getting shot in the process. That evening, everyone sits tensely in the house, hoping that Cam will make it through this ordeal. Bridie stays with Bucky, while her parents head into town for another meeting about this matter. Everyone is rather rattled at the news of Cam’s shooting, and spend a moment at the meeting in prayer.

Liddy keeps vigil at Cam’s bedside, and the doctor takes off for the night, telling Cam that he’s not sure if Cam will go one way or the other. The next morning, hundreds of geese are seen flying in the sky and landing in the lake, eating whatever’s left of the corn. Cam wakes to the sound of the geese, and reaches for Liddy’s hand. Everyone is relieved that Cam has made it through, and as Bucky and Bridie go to check on the geese, Alf arrives to inform him that the entire town has signed a petition to make the land a sanctuary for the geese.

January 27, 1998 – The Album Ariel’s Favorites is Released Through Walt Disney Records

“What’s it like to be a mermaid? Tell me a little of your life in the blue.”

On January 27, 1998, the compact disc album Ariel’s Favorites was released through Walt Disney Records. This album is one of several compilations of songs for The Little Mermaid franchise, with one track exclusive to this album: “Dance the Day Away.” Original voice actors from the 1989 film are featured on this disc, including Jodi Benson as Ariel, Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, and Buddy Hackett as Scuttle. A few of the other songs are taken from the 1992 animated series, including “Beddie-Bye Blues” with Jo Alaskey and David Lander as their characters Mobster Lobster and Da Shrimp.

January 26, 1945 – The Donald Duck Short Film The Clock Watcher Premieres in Theaters

“Dear Royal, we’re loyal, we’ll always be joyful, we’ll work hard and long for to you we do belong.”

On January 26, 1945, the Donald Duck short film The Clock Watcher is released to theaters. The short was directed by Jack King, with the story written by Harry Reeves and Rex Cox.

The clock tower tolls 8 o’clock, and a figure is speeding through traffic. The figure stops to reveal that it’s Donald, who has to punch his time card, although he is a bit late. He fools the clock by turning the hand back with a magnet, and punches in to appear that he’s there early. He then goes to his job at the gift wrapping department at Royal Brothers Department Store, but is less than thrilled to hear the boss sing a song about “loyal workers.” Just as the song ends, a barrage of merchandise slides down the shoot to meet Donald, and he quickly begins his work. But he doesn’t do a great job, as he breaks a fragile bowl, squashes a trombone into a tuba to make it fit in a box, and pops a football to fit in another box.

When the boss has an important announcement, Donald thinks that he’ll be getting a nice bonus

Donald is distracted by a magazine and pretends to be working, then gives himself a rather long lunch hour. The loudspeaker announces big news, which has Donald excited, thinking he’s earned a raise. The boss announces that production has increased in every single department – except Donald’s. Donald continues his less than stellar work, wrapping himself in a rocking chair and getting flustered when trying to wrap a jack in the box. Donald imposes every method to keep the jack-in-the-box wrapped, but it gets loose every time. Finally, it’s five o’clock, and Donald is almost at the door, when the boss informs him that he has to stay and wrap a few more packages. Donald, having had enough, runs to the boss’s office, and the sounds of a fight between the two are heard over the loudspeaker.

On January 25, 2003, Disney’s Dreams on Parade began in Tokyo Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom. The parade was created specifically for the 20th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland, and each character in the parade represents a different dream. Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather begin on a float of Cinderella’s castle, welcoming guests. The first section is the “Dreams of the Good Old Days,” featuring Daisy Duck, the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, and Mary Poppins and Bert. Dreams of the Frontier Spirit follows this, with Chip ’n’ Dale, Clara Cluck, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Woody, and Jessie. Pluto, Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox follow this with the Dreams of Friendship, continued with Dumbo, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Mickey Mouse, Alice, Mad Hatter, Peter Pan, and Wendy with the Dreams of Imagination. Goofy brings the Dreams of Laughter with Sulley and Mike from Monsters, Inc.; Buzz Lightyear comes next with the Dreams of Infinity. Dreams of Paradise continues the parade with Donald Duck, King Louie, and Baloo. The parade ends with the Dreams of Happily Ever After, with Snow White and her Prince, Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip, Belle and the Beast, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Mickey Mouse. The parade finished its run on March 30, 2006; a CD and Blu-Ray of the parade were released for purchase.